All eyes will be on Anfield on Sunday afternoon when Liverpool and Manchester City resume rivalries in what could be a crunch clash in the Premier League title race. The Reds will go into the match a point clear of City after Darwin Núñez’s dramatic 99th winner against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
City followed that up by coming from behind to beat Manchester United at the Etihad to fuel the excitement ahead of the current top two facing off. But there is now a real chance that it will be Arsenal leading the way when play gets underway on Sunday.
The Gunners had been written off after three defeats in five at the end of 2023 but since the turn of the year, Mikel Arteta’s side has been electric to force its way back into the title picture. And a win over Brentford on Saturday evening will ensure top spot before Liverpool and City take to the field
The 6-0 mauling of Sheffield United on Monday night made it seven wins on the spin for Arsenal, with the run including the victory over Liverpool at the Emirates in February. And while it arguably remains the outsider in the race, the current scoring form has ensured one key advantage over Liverpool and City.
The success at Bramall Lane means Arsenal has now scored 31 times in its winning run, boosting its goal difference considerably. Arteta now boasts the best attack and the best defense in the Premier League with a +45 goal difference, six more than Liverpool and a staggering 10 better than City.
Liverpool has hardly struggled at either end of the pitch this term either, averaging an impressive 2.4 goals per match over the course of the campaign. Its record of nine clean sheets is also only bettered by Arsenal.
But the recent performances from the north London side indicate just how important it is for Liverpool that Mohamed Salah comes back firing. Only Erling Haaland and Ollie Watkins have scored more than the Egyptian this season, and that is despite him playing just over 45 minutes of football in the last two months.
The likes of Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez have stepped up in his absence but Liverpool is simply more of a dangerous proposition with the 31-year-old in the team. His ability to create something out of nothing is unrivalled while throughout his Liverpool career, he has continued to turn half chances into clear ones.
The Reds had 22 attempts at Forest but hit the target just twice, including Núñez’s header, and you would have fancied Salah to tuck at least one of those away to spare the grandstand finale. The same can be said for Diogo Jota, who before injury was in some of the best form of his Liverpool career.
The pair have accounted for a third of the goals scored by Liverpool players in all competitions this season (33 of 99 — excluding own goals) despite both having lengthy spells on the sidelines. It is hoped that Salah will play some part against Sparta Prague in the Europa League on Thursday night, which would then put him in contention for the clash with City.
Jota meanwhile is still some way off after injuring his knee at Brentford but it is hoped he will be back before the run-in. If both can recapture the form they showed in the first half of the season, Liverpool will find itself in an even better position than it does right now.
With all three sides in blistering form, there is a real possibility that the Premier League could be decided on goal difference for just the second time ever. City prevailed on that occasion but Liverpool’s returning stars can ensure it finishes top of the charts this time around.